Jacques Bougie, SNC Lavalin board member, informally lobbied Morneau’s wife

A well-placed source tells The Chronicle that Jacques Bougie, a member of SNC Lavalin‘s Board of Directors, informally appealed to Nancy McCain, the wife of Finance Minister Bill Morneau, to inquire whether there was anything she could do to help the construction giant secure a deferred prosecution agreement.

The source claims that McCain placated Bougie with niceties, but never intended to lobby her husband in any serious capacity, while encouraging Bougie to reach out to her husband directly.

Bougie sits on the Board of McCain Foods — the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, the family-founded firm in which Nancy McCain retains a controlling stake. He serves on the Board with, among others, four members of the McCain family. His role on SNC Lavalin’s Board includes service on the Ethics Committee and Human Resources Committee. His compensation with the firm surpasses that of the firm’s Chairman Kevin G. Lynch.

Bougie also sits on the Board of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.